Studio Simpatico

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a communications consultant for Girl Be Heard, a nonprofit that supports and promotes the arts and activism to girls and gender-expansive youth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

I was hired to rebrand and refresh our website and needed Studio Simpatico’s help. There was too much content on the site, so we wanted to streamline it to make it align with our goals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico helped me completely redesign our website in WordPress. We provided them with one-pagers about the organization and a breakdown of our programs and events. We also gave them a questionnaire that staff members and program participants had filled out saying what they were looking for in a web redesign. We also provided a description of our youth participants to give them a sense of our desired energy and aesthetic of the website. We told Studio Simpatico that we wanted to focus on tying programs and events to storytelling.

I had done a site audit, and Studio Simpatico audited the site as well. We had weekly meetings to discuss the design. After we’d agreed on the design, content, and structure, we met weekly with Tamara, one designer, and the project manager. In the last few weeks, we polished the site with the project manager.

What is the team composition?

The initial calls included Tamara (Owner), two designers, Bruce (Head of Design) and Angela (Senior Designer & Illustrator), and a project manager, Mingwei (Product Manager). Another teammate joined sometimes.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $45,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged Studio Simpatico between March 2023–June 2023.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I joined after Studio Simpatico was already on board, but I know they submitted a proposal.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our funders were very happy with the new site, and we were excited to launch it. Our old site wasn’t up to date with the latest trends and content, but after the project, we feel confident sending users to the site Studio Simpatico designed. They did way more than we expected them to do.

Studio Simpatico had more technical experience than I do, so they were able to catch a lot of areas for improvement in their audit, which was amazing.

How did the company perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered the product well before the deadline and gave us a nonprofit rate. They were so organized from the beginning. We met weekly, which made this my best experience working with a vendor; most vendors don’t offer a weekly check-in.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

The whole team was so great, and each one served a critical role at each stage of the process. I really appreciated that Tamara was very involved in the process, even though she was probably very busy. She made the administrative process — which can be complicated for nonprofits — very smooth for us. Her input during the site audit was amazing and helped me consolidate content. 

Bruce and Angela took what we asked for and translated it into this really beautiful product that everyone was so happy with. 

Mingwei was fantastic. I wish she could manage all my projects and my whole life. I couldn’t have worked with a better team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Studio Simpatico was very professional. They were patient and responsive; if we sent a question, we’d get an answer within the hour on weekdays or first thing Monday morning. Studio Simpatico’s team was efficient and talented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were perfect.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Sign up to work with Studio Simpatico and take advantage of the weekly check-ins. They were very willing to share their expertise.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Director of Big Green

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our work across the country brings hundreds of thousands of gardens to life in schools, homes, and communities each year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Studio Simpatico to accomplish?

• Design and develop a new organization website that communicates Big Green’s new mission, impact, and programming
• Simplify Big Green’s sub-sites, resources, and content
• Drive grant applications and donations

SOLUTION

How did you find Studio Simpatico?

Online Search

Why did you select Studio Simpatico over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Great Portfolio

What was the size of Studio Simpatico’s team?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Design and develop a new website that:

• Communicates Big Green’s new mission, impact, and programming
• Simplifies Big Green’s sub-sites, resources, and content, is attractive and easy to navigate and drives grant applications and donations.

Key Deliverables:

• Design and dev of new WordPress website, new brand identity and guidelines, and custom illustrations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Our website has received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback! The design, brand updates the navigation, the stellar backend – it's all seamless. We previously had a challenge communicating the variety of work our organization does and the new site helps us demonstrate our impact!

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes! They were always, always on time and often ahead of schedule! The team also created tools and resources to help streamline our work if we (The Big Green team) fell behind or needed help!

What was your primary form of communication with Studio Simpatico?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I cannot recommend Studio Simpatico highly enough! From start to finish, every member of the team was incredibly talented, helpful, kind, and supportive. They truly went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of our project was executed flawlessly. The design they created for our website was not only visually stunning, but also highly functional and user-friendly. Their backend system was intuitive and easy to navigate, making managing the website so easy! In addition, the way they managed the project and communicated with us was exceptional.

They kept us informed every step of the way, and were always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that our needs were met. The animations they incorporated into the website were simply amazing, and added a level of interactivity and engagement that we never thought was possible.

Overall, we were so impressed by the team's flexibility, creativity, and attention to detail. They truly over-delivered on every aspect of the project, and we couldn't be happier with the results. If you're looking for a web agency that will exceed your expectations, this is it.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Studio Simpatico could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Art Director of (a/an) Beauty & Cosmetics

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company is a technology saavy & results-driven facial bar company that aims to give high-quality facials for every skin tone & type.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Studio Simpatico to accomplish?

• Give a website brand+layout refresh
• Implement new modules and page styles to express our informational goals
• Update our Booking + Quiz functionality & aesthetic

SOLUTION

How did you find Studio Simpatico?

Referral

Why did you select Studio Simpatico over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Studio Simpatico’s team?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Simpatico helped us develop new frameworks to improve, redesign & refresh our web UX/UI experience with the customer experience in mind due to our website being outdated. They helped us develop & create new modules on Wordpress to create future pages we would need with ease. They also helped to revise+improve our Booking Form and Facial Quiz UX/UI/design based on what wasn't working for customers previously. They have also been assisting us to adjust to future needs that were noted during post-launch as we continue to determine what is needed for customization on our web backend.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Implementation of proposed ideas, wireframes & actual web design/UX/UI were all delivered on time & within our proposed schedule. All designs were updated beautifully & were much improved from our previous, outdated branding/website. Functionality and UX/UI experience greatly improved from a user & backend standpoint. Still waiting for longer term statistics / SEO data.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Simpatico offered a top-notch experience with their project management and organizational flow. They were super communicative, helpful & responsive throughout the development process in all areas (discovery, production & post-launch). I feel like Simpatico was always very receptive to our specific & complex needs as a brand and would try their best to give us options & assistance depending on what our goals were.

What was your primary form of communication with Studio Simpatico?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I really enjoyed working with Team Simpatico! I appreciate that I felt like they were always there for us & they were very accommodating to our complex needs and goals as a brand. Simpatico's team had a lot of diverse skillsets to help us both develop & implement our website, and I was always impressed with the solutions they would come up with when presented with a task. They were always positive and helpful to our needs, and they were always willing to give informational feedback when necessary. I had a great experience with every single person I got to work with on the team!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Studio Simpatico could have done differently?

Nope!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of content for Slickdeals, an online community for shared deals on products and offers around the web. Our community of 12 million people curates those deals and votes them up and down. I run the editorial operations and strategy, and we’re primarily focused on personal finance content, writing about credit cards, banking, and personal loans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We needed to build a custom WordPress theme for our personal finance subdomain. Our goal was to expand on what we had and improve our UX design. We hired Studio Simpatico to develop the theme and come up with a new UX design for a new look and feel.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico has designed the UX for and built our custom WordPress subdomain from scratch. We needed a custom CMS that would allow us to publish content easily and keep track of it. The site also needed to be connected to our API from our personal finance partners. The team has built an integration to automatically update when information comes through the API. 

For the design, we gave them sites we liked for inspiration and our brand guidelines, which include color schemes and font types. Other than that, we gave them creative freedom to come up with the designs. Studio Simpatico will be doing ongoing maintenance and feature support for us. 

What is the team composition?

Studio Simpatico has a team of 10 people, and they’ve all worked on our project at some point. I’ve personally interacted with seven teammates, and our point of contact is a product manager. 

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

I received a referral from someone in my boss’s network, so I reached out to Studio Simpatico. After I told them what we needed, they created a pitch we really liked. We also appreciated that Tamara (Owner) was a big fan of the type of content we create, so she was really excited to work on our project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $80,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2022, and our engagement is ongoing. Although they’ve delivered most of their work, we’re holding up the launch on our end. We’ll also contact Studio Simpatico for ongoing maintenance, so our engagement will continue. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We're thrilled with the website's design and love how it looks. The navigation is also good, and all the new tools from a CMS standpoint are fantastic; my team is excited about the new bells and whistles. Thanks to Studio Simpatico's work, we'll be able to provide a better UX overall. 

Before this project, we manually entered the product information into our API feed. Now, the information is updated automatically across all content. This feature will save time and ensure we always comply with our issuers' expectations. Accuracy is crucial for personal finance and can make or break a website, so it's great that we can leverage this new integration. 

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

They've met every deadline that we've set because the team is fast and efficient. We use Basecamp for project management, and Studio Simpatico has set up a form and tracker in Airtable to keep track of new requests and bug tickets. For the design approval process, we used InVision. 

For communication, we've set up a Slack channel where we communicate with several people on their team as we need to. Additionally, we've had several Zoom calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Studio Simpatico is super responsive and really fast. Whether it's a new feature or a bug that needs to be fixed, their turnaround time is lightning fast. For example, we've mentioned an issue while on a call, and the team has fixed it by the end of that call. Their talent also stands out, from WordPress knowledge to design — they've been fantastic. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have constructive feedback for them; they've been a pleasure to work with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't sweat it if you don't have a clear picture of what you want your site to look like because Studio Simpatico is very good at taking your inspiration and turning it into something great. If you're not experienced,  the team is good at holding your hand and teaching by doing — they'll be your partners. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and partnerships for a technical recruiting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We were looking to establish a more cohesive branding, so we engaged with Studio Simpatico to help us do a brand refresh. We also wanted to make our website and marketing collateral consistent with our brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we held a discovery call with Studio Simpatico, during which we defined the scope of the project as well as our key objectives and requirements. From there, they proceeded with the work, which involved a full rebuild of our website and the creation of various digital and print assets. The site was built with WordPress.

Their team has already completed the rebuild of our website last September, and we’re currently working with them on other projects.

What is the team composition?

We work with various people from their team, including Tamara (Owner), Mingwei (Project Manager), Bruce (Head of Design), and a couple of junior designers.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2022, and our engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Now that our website looks terrific, we’ve started to receive inbound queries from potential clients. We’ve also gotten a ton of positive feedback about our new site from the people we met at a conference.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done an excellent job from a project management standpoint. They meet all deadlines; any delays are usually caused by our side. They use Basecamp to manage tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Studio Simpatico’s time management skills and ability to meet deadlines distinguishes them from other providers. We’ve experienced a lot of delays with most of the companies that we have worked with before. Moreover, their team is very proactive in terms of asking questions and guiding our conversations. They’re also able to break down technical concepts in layperson terms — this really helps us make concrete decisions faster.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

I don’t have any constructive feedback for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing of Grasshopper Bank, a B2B digital banking company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

We were about to relaunch our company, so we needed rebranding and website development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico has been helping us with WordPress web design and development from scratch. In addition, they’ve been helping us with branding, which was the first step of the process and included developing our brand’s design story.

Currently, they provide ongoing maintenance and other collateral design services for social media and our app’s UI/UX using InVision and Figma.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Tamara (Owner), web designers, and a development team.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

We found them through an online search, and after looking at their past work, we decided to reach out to them.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent around $75,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re very happy with their work, which has positively impacted our company by helping us expand exponentially in the last year.

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is one of their strengths; they always stay within budget, have never missed a deadline, and are communicative throughout the process. Regarding tools, we use Basecamp, Slack, Google Meet, and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their transparent and communicative team is their best attribute. They’re great partners to work with because they’re responsive and swift. In addition, their design resources are wonderful because they commit to getting exactly what we want.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — they’re our best business partners.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest and transparent with what you want. Vocalizing your needs and feedback will ensure a good outcome because Studio Simpatico is great at adapting its work to your needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a startup software company called SimplyPut based in San Francisco, CA. SimplyPut allows users to ask natural language questions about their internal company data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Simpatico?

We hired Studio Simpatico to design our external website pages (including marketing/splash, platform description, about, and blog) as well as our visual design (color scheme, logo, fonts, etc.).

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We looked at a few vendors but ultimately went with Studio Simpatico because they had done great work for other folks we know in the B2B software space.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We had a few kickoff meetings for the Studio Simpatico team to hear about what our company was building, what kind of feeling we wanted potential customers to have when they visited our website, and what we felt was important to come through to potential customers with branding. Those meetings led to

1. a skeleton of the external website pages, and
2. a visual design exercise.

From our feedback on both aspects, the Studio Simpatico team was able to craft our external website pages in high fidelity with illustrations, images, content, and graphics. We also received a basic style guide to apply to other parts of our product.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with 5 different people. One was the owner and general manager of Studio Simpatico, one was a project manager, and 3 were deisgners.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The team was able to take our ramblings about what we wanted our external website to reflect and to inform potential customers and turn those ramblings into a beautifully designed website.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had frequent updates about progress and timelines from the team. We were able to communicate very effectively through email and Basecamp. All our feedback and comments were promptly responded to and dealt with appropriately.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Everyone at the company is extremely helpful and pleasant to work with. I looked forward to all of our meetings as well as collaborating back and forth via email and Basecamp.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

My only nit is that there were a couple times when I wasn't sure when certain illustrations for the website were being produced. When I checked in with them though, it was all cleared up very promptly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Iron & Air Media. We're a culture publication and website dedicated to automotive & motorcycle enthusiasts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with the vendor?

We hired Studio Simpatico for a ground up redesign of ironandair.com. We had been operating off a Shopify platform for the previous 5 years, but content suffered. We needed a content-first web platform for us to showcase and grow our user base. We had dedicated a lot of time to dialing in our print magazine and wanted the site to be of equal stature to the premium quality of the publication, offering a wide variety of design options for how we showcase the content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Studio Simpatico handled full stack web development for the site, and also developed a design language for the site based off our current brand design. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked exclusively with Tamara Olson, head of operations, Bruce Viemeister, head of design, Mingwei Ma, product manager, Angela Huang, designer & illustrator, Amber Weinberg, head of development, and Evan Thompson, senior developer.

How did you come to work with the vendor?

We interviewed several companies to determine the right partner for our needs. At the end of the day, it came down to two factors: confidence and value. Studio Simpatico came in at the right price point but they outshined every other vendor when it came to their investment in our brand. It was clear right from the beginning that they had done their homework and took the extra time to understand our beliefs so they could meet our needs. We knew they were the right team because of the deep level of care they showed for our product and it shows in the end result.

What is the status of this engagement?

The website launched in February of 2022, and we are currently engaged with Studio Simpatico on a retainer basis for ongoing dev support as needed. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The page views and time on site from our visitors is way up from our previous site, and without any targeted marketing, which shows that the content is clearly communicating better and is more engaging that it previously was. 

How did the vendor perform from a project management standpoint?

Three members of our team worked with Studio Simpatico for around four months developing the site. Since this was a ground-up build, there was a lot to do, but Simpatico made the process painless by scheduling all of the meetings and check-ins, creating a simple list of To-Do’s for our team within Basecamp, and staying on task and target during each phase. My least favorite thing to do is chase down vendors to check the status of a project. I never had to do this even once with Studio Simpatico. Their status updates were always clear, concise, and on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by the genuine interest with our project and our company. Studio Simpatico always made us feel excited by each step (even the tedious ones) and they brought an infectious level of energy to each meeting. In every phase, they've demonstrated a level of confidence that makes us feel comfortable that we are in good hands. When we didn’t understand something (which was quite often), they always took the time to explain things and provide clear instructions so we never felt lost in any part of the site build. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they could bottle their confidence and energy, I’d buy it by the case.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Kurt Weill Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to the perpetuation and promotion of the legacies of composer Kurt Weill and singing actress Lotte Lenya.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Simpatico?

We were looking for a full stack development firm to do a ground-up rebuild of our website. A central challenge of the project was the organization and presentation of extensive and widely varying content for a broad range of users.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We collected referrals from colleague organizations as well as consulting online reviews, including those on Clutch. A number of firms offered strong skills and a small few competitive prices as well. The deciding factor was Simpatico's willingness to be flexible and responsive from the start, and to go the extra mile in making sure the project was a success.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The staff of our organization had already developed an extensive outline of site content before the project began. Our work with Simpatico proceeded in multiple stages: Content Preparation, User Experience and Visual Identity Work, Sitemap and Wireframe Sketches, Site Coding, and Quality Assurance & Launch.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with six people in total; the CEO Tamara, two designers, and three coders.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The new elements and cleaner navigation of the site they designed and built for us have drawn many positive comments from our constituents.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

This is an area of stellar performance for Simpatico. I have never worked with a contracted firm on any project with as attentive, efficient, and enjoyable workflow.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

See above regarding workflow. I'd add the words collaboration, partnership, commitment, buy-in. Truly exceptional in all of these ways.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

One of our technical requirements was a challenge, but Simpatico didn't hesitate to engage additional expertise to build what needed to be built.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and executive director of AmpleHarvest.org, a one-of-a-kind hunger and food waste nonprofit. We work in 4,200 communities in all 50 states in the US. We educate and enable home and community gardeners to be able to donate their surplus harvest to one of our nearly 8,000 food pantries across the country.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Studio Simpatico?

When we launched AmpleHarvest.org in 2009, we launched with a website, which had been the center of our operations. Up until recently, we were still using that old platform.

That was a huge problem for us, since our entire existence revolved around a website created before people used mobile phones and tablets. It was also made using technology that has become outdated and almost impossible to maintain. Additionally, the old site failed to explain what AmpleHarvest.org is and how it’s distinct from other programs in the country. 

We needed help in rebuilding our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Studio Simpatico conducted a deep dive to our old website. After that, they proceeded to develop our new site. They used Sonic for the wireframes and collaborated closely with our team throughout the process.

They incorporated effective storytelling to our platform. One of our biggest problems was that people didn’t know what AmpleHarvest.org did or does. People mistake us for being a food bank or a gardening program. Studio Simpatico took the time to simplify our messaging so our site’s visitors can clearly and simply see what AmpleHarvest.org is all about.

We’ve been using Liquid Web as our hosting service, and we wanted to remain on it. Although Studio Simpatico was not familiar with Liquid Web, they learned it and built our new site around that.

We told Studio Simpatico that a significant portion of our users are senior citizens and gardeners who are always out on a sunny day in the garden. They designed the page layout, fonts, colors, and other elements with our audience in mind.

Studio Simpatico has already finished the website, and we recently launched it to the public. Going forward, we intend to keep them on a monthly retainer for ongoing maintenance and support.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Tamara (Owner & Head of Operations), and her team -  a mixed bag of specialists. Some of them are technically oriented, and others are artists and designers.

How did you come to work with Studio Simpatico?

We put together an extensive and indepth RFP. Studio Simpatico bid on it, and they won because they did a fantastic job fleshing out 95% of what was needed to be done.

Additionally, Studio Simpatico’s proposal matched our budget. Others vendors offered five times their offer, while others just didn’t get our project. I knew from day one that Studio Simpatico understood our goals and requirements.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

It’s too early to provide feedback. I’m expecting 1–2 months before our numbers go up. 

However, from a design and SEO perspective, the new site is significantly better than the old one. Previously, Google couldn’t find any of our food pantries — the pantries didn’t even have their own URL. On the new site, Google is indexing each of our 8,000 pantries’ URL. 

Our staff and stakeholders love our new website. In fact, the new site has given us the confidence to talk with a big-box retailer. We wouldn’t have been able to do that before; we would have seemed an unprofessional program. The new site presents us as someone a corporate partner would want to work with.  

How did Studio Simpatico perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly video meetings and occasional phone calls, with nearly everything "documented" through email and Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Tamara — she’s a delight to work with. She has managed our expectations well and kept to the budget. Her whole team is also great, but Tamara is the kind of person you’ll want to be friends with. There’s pleasantness and professionalism about her. 

In addition, Tamara understands what AmpleHarvest.org is. She has understood who we are on day one, and that’s really important for me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Studio Simpatico had a preference for emails and Basecamp but not telephone calls. I would’ve liked being able to call a bit more frequently. Additionally, because they were forced to work with our budget, there were minor things that didn’t get done. However, those were things our team could easily fix.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you know exactly what you want — put it down on paper and have it reviewed by other people. Ensure your RFP is as explicit as possible and contains both nitty-gritty details and big picture perspectives.